Depends on what you want to do. At its most basic level, you can still build and host a site exactly like you could in the olden days, there are still plenty of

Depends on what you want to do. At its most basic level, you can still build and host a site exactly like you could in the olden days, there are still plenty of traditional hosting companies you can upload your work too, and getting a domain for such a site is easier and cheaper than ever. Plus SSL certificates are cheaper and easier than before, since Let's Encrypt has driven down prices in that market by offering a free solution. It's also easier from a CSS perspective too, since flexbox and grid have taken all the stress away from designing traditional 3 column layouts, and making them work on multiple device sizes. No more floating divs for you this time! But there's a difference between what's possible and what's expected, and I think that's where the confusion lies. If you want to make a 'web app' in the style of Google Maps or Gmail or Airbnb or Netflix or whatever else, then yeah you're gonna need to go down the long, somewhat confusing road of JavaScript frameworks and NPM and what not. And there are user expectations that a popular site will probably have many of the complex features that such frameworks enable, as well as a 'fancier' visual design than the sites of the 90s and early 00s. So the skill floor has stayed the same, but the ceiling has risen tenfold, and that's where the complexity can come in.